Cartoon Capers, Watersides Arts Festival

CARTOON Capers will be on the agenda as the annual Waterside Arts Festival returns this weekend.

The fun begins on Saturday 7th September with internationally renowned cartoonists drawing live on the streets of Hythe.

The event will feature artists Sue Burleigh, Simon and Sheba Cassini, Ian Ellery, Clive Goddard, Tim Harries, Rich Skipworth, Achaz von Hardenberg, and Chris Williams. Local author, cartoonist, and Cartoon Capers instigator Simon Chadwick will also be participating.

There is no other cartoon festival in the country, so Cartoon Capers is aiming to become an annual event at The Waterside Arts Festival, building on the success of its inaugural year.

Highlights include several workshops, including Cartooning for Kids, Cartooning on an iPad, and a chat with Private Eye artist Clive Goddard.

In addition to the cartoonists, Fluid Motion will perform Take Ten, a piece emphasising the importance of taking 10 minutes for oneself each day.

Joli Vyann will present a new performance piece Life’s a Beach in the gardens of the Grove, exploring family life and seaside culture through dance and circus skills.

Local shops will be participating in a cartoon trail, displaying cartoons in their windows with maps available on the day. The Dusty Barrel will host live music throughout the day, and comedian Jon Matthews will perform Talk Nerdy to me at the Hythe and Dibden parish hall in the evening.

The festival will then continue throughout the week, with various workshops including weaving, acrylic painting, making a tote bag, drumming, and creating a rag wreath.

Other highlights include a screening of the award-winning film La Chimera, a Waterside Art quiz night, the Great Egg Race, and a poetry evening.

The festival, which resumed last year after a five-year hiatus, is supported by Culture in Common, Straight Talk Financial Services, Waterside Community Fund, and Fawley Parish Council.

To find out more, visit www.watersidearts.org.uk